


Demon of Iron

by PhoenixxWispp



Series: Demon of Iron [1]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back
Genre: Birth of the Demon, Body Horror, Demon!Veers, M/M, Resurrection, Soul Stealing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 18:28:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11903640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixxWispp/pseuds/PhoenixxWispp
Summary: On the brink of death, Maximilian Veers is returned to the realm of the living by the Emperor. But...he isn't resurrected into the same General he used to be.





	Demon of Iron

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically an edited version of the tumblr edition drabble I posted (link in the end notes) so that I could include the actual rebirth ~ long live the demon.

General Maximilian Veers feels nothing as he is laid on the hoverstretcher.

His mind registers nothing but his body responds, his back arching as he twists from left to right, driven only by the terror of the blackness beyond, limp arms clawing at enemies no longer alive. 

Veers is brought by a team of six medics to the Emperor's own chambers. He remembers none of the journey. He doesn't even remember if he is alive. 

The Emperor produces a pitiless click as he stands and paces over to Veers' form, and he lays his eyes on a creature who used to be a man, a creature who used to be his best general. 

It reminds him strangely of Darth Vader, brought before him, broken and horribly burned. A waste of a great enforcer of the dark. 

No, no, this will not do at all. 

Unrepentant of the pain he causes Veers' body which is dimly alive, the Emperor forces himself deep inside Veers' memories, his feelings, his ups and his downs, and he sears them away, one by one. 

It's almost like a game to him when he reaches deeper and deeper inside, ripping away the fear, tearing away the pain, and burning away the love. 

"You are dismissed," Palpatine sneers at the six medics. Each of them bows and turn around to leave, but no, oh no, that is not what the Emperor meant at all. 

One by one, the Emperor uses the Force to extract their souls through his dark sorcery, and he tortures the souls as well, cleansing the soul in entirety, erasing  _everything_ from them. 

And through a painful process once more reminiscent of the birth of Darth Vader, the Emperor forces the souls into Veers' weak body. 

But a mere human cannot survive once imbued with more than one soul, not to mention  _six_. 

The Emperor turns his back on Veers and seats himself again as the reborn General's eyes fling open and he screams his throat raw as the souls tear his body apart and rebuild him. The Emperor simply smirks as the transformation begins, turning the General into something far worse than human. 

The full transformation will take time, Palpatine knows, but through the memories he had stolen from the General, he knows just who would accompany Veers as his new form matured. 

Galen Walton Erso. 

 

... 

 

“Galen Walton Erso.”

 

 

The demon who once was General Maximilian Veers has a twisted tone and an unnatural smile, eyes alight with a hint of joy and recognition behind those tortured, hazel eyes.

The rebirth took days, a full week perhaps. His skin and muscles still scream with protest, but Veers and Pain had come to an understanding during the rebirth. He is different, now. Taller, small horns jutting out of his skull, the beginning of claws growing on his hands. 

Galen swallows at the sight.

Beauty had been stolen from the general,  _his_  general, and in its place, Veers was allowed only the murderous, deific gleam of a creature no one could love. Behind his stony visage, there is only  _power_ , and the dream to slaughter all those who had caused him such pain. Even his maker, who had subjugated him so and turned him into this.

For a split second, Galen thinks he could see Veers’ eyes flash into an ugly cross between a bright amber and a dull maroon, the blood-curdling color promising retribution and violence for all the wrong done to him.

And at the sight of it, Galen feels his blood turn to ice as he backs away from the demon who is no longer his Angel of Iron.

“Are you scared, love?” Veers chuckles, unable to hide the mirth in his voice. It is only part of him that sees Galen Erso as the man he loves, after all. But the rest? The rest sees him as a petty human, weak and torpid to say the least.

“Should I be?” Galen forces out. This is not Max. _He has no qualms about hurting me…I should be terrified at the very least…_

Galen is a heartbroken, grieving mess, but he is not terrified of the demon who stands before him. As if plucking that thought from his mind, some of the pain in Veers’ eyes evaporates into thin air.

“No," Veers admits. Thoughts from the demon inside and the General who used to host this body conflict, making him stumble slightly. He remembers his Emperor telling him he is still a work in progress. 

“That’s good to hear.” Veers allows Galen to step forwards, close enough that Veers could hear Galen’s heart and a question he has been asked before flutters to his tongue.

“I can hear your heart,” Veers murmurs, gaze shifting down so he can fully gaze at the figure in front of him, unafraid but pensive. “Does it beat just for me?”

Galen’s auburn eyes grow weary at the question, prompting memories of their past.  _No one can love a demon, a creature interested in only the slaughter and torture of those who stand in its path…a creature said to be incapable of true connection to another being…_

_But I am not like most._

“Yes,” Galen responds, reaching up to trace Veers’ jawline with a tentative finger, noticing the subtle difference in his skull. “It beats only for you, Max.” Veers’ eyes obtain a painful glint at that, and he looks away.

“Max is dead,” Veers says finally. “He died fighting at Hoth, and I am what’s left of his legacy.”

“Max can never die,” Galen reminds him firmly, pointing to his own heart. “Max lives in my soul, a fragment of me that can never die. He lives in you, too.”

“That is what you want to believe.”

“Because that is the truth.”

Veers’ eyes soften again, and Galen sees Max’s loving face flicker onto Veers’ demonic one, but it is gone before he can be certain. Veers lets his clawed hand slide forwards, and Galen lets his own hand intermingle with the demons, wrapping tightly together in a sacred bond that would never break.

“Maximilian Veers was an angel and a demon, love,” Veers declares. “The angel has fallen, and in his place stands a demon.”

“My  _Demon_  of Iron,” Galen chuckles with a huff. “Sweet, sweet demon.”

“Yes,” Veers whispers, giving Galen a melancholy look. “Your Demon of Iron.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos always welcome! 
> 
> Come hang out with me on [tumblr](https://phoenixxwispp.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Original tumblr version [here](https://phoenixxwispp.tumblr.com/post/164535315536/demon-of-iron)!


End file.
